Winter Bells
by KendraLC
Summary: Yui/Azusa fluff, possibly some Mio/Ritsu and Mugi/Sawako too. Winter brings all sorts of romantic opportunities, can Yui make use of them?
1. Falling in Love With Winter

**Chapter One**

**Falling in love with Winter**

The time, an early Monday morning, around the crispy time of winter when the trees frost over, the ground covered in snow and your nose frightfully cold and red. The time in which Yui found the greatest time of year, the time of snowmen building with Ui, the time of snow fights with Mio, Ritsu, Mugi and her dear little Asuza too. The time of sliding on the icy pavement and trying to catch yourself before falling, the time of cosy togetherness underneath a woolly blanket and, of course, the time for only the best of friends to fall completely in love with the bitter cold that brings happy stories.

Yui thought of winter as a wonderful time, as she did with every season that brought a different air to her already bustling lifestyle.

However, what Yui didn't like, were mornings. Yui hated mornings so very much and wished they happened so much later in the day, only to realise that it wouldn't work. She hated the harshly cold floor which brought chills all the way through her delicate body to the very tips of her fingers.

Ui would often be the one to wake her, opening her door with a quiet swift flick of the door handle, peering inside only to see her sister no more ready for school than she did the moment she crept into bed. Ui would smile warmly and chuckle quietly at her sister's sleeping style, which was often the art of sprawling across the bed, legs and arms swinging over the edge of her bed.

Ui would call Yui several times before any sign of consciousness traced across the sleeping brunette's face, and before Ui knew it, she would bolt upright, often causing Ui to jump and laugh at her sister's spiky bed head. The older sister would look around quickly, reaching out for her alarm clock only to see how late she was for school. She would shriek and hurry out of bed, slipping and sliding over the floor and grabbing her clothes and then she would rush into the bathroom and ready herself for the day. Yui never took long in this particular activity, brushing her teeth and lazily changing her clothing, washing her face with her flannel and brushing her hands though her hair until it was in a satisfactory style.

Ui would often wave at Yui as she ran out the door, toast in her mouth and bag falling off of her shoulder, shoes in danger of coming off at any moment. Yui didn't like mornings, though she was glad she had her wonderful sister Ui to help her out.

"Good morning, Yui-Sempai." Azusa called out; waving at Yui with a small smile on her face, Yui immediately darted across the path and hugged Azusa tightly.

"Morning, Azu-Nyan!" Yui greeted while gripping the younger girl warmly and showed no signs of letting go, no matter how much Azusa protested.

"Y-Yui-Sempai! Don't do that in front of other people!" She spluttered, "What if you knocked someone over when you started running?" Azusa's cheeks turning a rather deep shade of pink and her eyes wide and flustered, though decided she quite liked Yui's hugs, no matter how embarrassing they tended to be.

"But Azu-Nyan, I missed you! I didn't get to see you much last weekend and I wanted to hug you!" Yui nuzzled Azusa's cheek with her own and smiled brightly. She let go once she heard the all too familiar voice coming from her left.

"Good morning you two," A beautiful blonde haired girl walked up to Yui and Azusa, smiling and laughing at their embrace.

"Morning, Mugi-Chan!" Yui beamed as she shifted her gaze from her blushing friend to her, leaving the before mentioned a few seconds to get herself together.

"Good Morning, Mugi-Sempai," Azusa smiled, placing her bag back on her shoulder, which so happened to fall off when Yui had tackled her into a hug. Mugi chuckled and walked with them into school, smiling whenever Yui called Asuza by her signature nickname, Azu-Nyan.

Mugi thought it was awfully cute how the two were inseparable in some respects; she loved how close the two were and thought it would be nice to have someone like that in her life too, someone that she could share anything with, could do anything with and be there for. She blushed and looked down slightly; she thought it silly of herself to be thinking about having one special friend, when she had four.

Mio had already placed her bag on her desk, sat down and had her gaze fixed upon a flock of chirping white birds floating through the sky when she was shocked out of her skin.

"Mio!" A loud shout from the doorway came ringing through her ears, making her shudder quickly. Ritsu always thought it was compulsory to make Mio jump and scare her senseless, she thought it very fun and tried to take advantage of Mio's easily scared nature whenever she could. She also succeeded in this, just about every day.

"Ritsu!" Mio shuddered and complained to her overly confident friend, while Ritsu was Mio's closest friend; she was also the most annoying at times. Ritsu ginned widely and sat in her usual seat, happy that she got to scare Mio before the bell.


	2. Tea at Your House

**Chapter Two**

**Tea at Your House**

The five girls were in their clubroom, as they usually were afterschool. Talking about music, cakes and of course, why Yui was being silly as she always is. Mio and Ritsu had taken their usual seats and were arguing over their favourite cake.

"Mio, you're being so unfair." Ritsu huffed, wanting to tuck into the spongy cake right away. She inched her hand closer, hoping she could grab it without Mio noticing. A plan which, of course, would fail.

"Ritsu, you always get to pick before me, now _that _is unfair. Don't be so childish." Mio retorted, not minding as much about that cake but more about the cocky brunette's attitude. She sighed then dropped her shoulders slightly. "Fine, you can have it, I don't mind that much." Ritsu raised her eyebrows and grinned then slouched forward, grabbed the cake with her fork and shifted it to her plate. She shoved a huge mouthful and chewed loudly.

"Thanks Mio!" She spluttered out between bites and cut off a piece for Mio and dumped it on her plate. "You can have a piece too!"

"...Thank you." Mio sighed; she knew Ritsu thought she was being very charitable, so she didn't complain. She politely waited until Mugi had picked hers, and looking at Azusa and Yui, decided she might as well pick a cake before they even noticed they were there. She smiled at the two arguing over silly things and chuckled before she delicately ate her own cake. Mugi smiled at the delighted faces Mio and Ritsu made while eating, she was glad she chose this set again, it contained of their favourites, after all.

Yui and Azusa were still looking out of the window, watching the remaining students hurriedly leave school. Yui slouched against the window, making Azusa sigh.

"You shouldn't press your cheek against the window like that, Yui. You'll leave a mark on it." She complained, puffing her cheeks out and tilting her head to the side. Yui clumsily pulled her head away and smiled sheepishly.

"Then I can lean on you instead, Azu-Nyan!" Yui slung herself at Azusa before she could voice any complaints and grabbed her reddening cheeks, pulling lightly and grinning widely. Azusa squeezed her eyes shut at the contact and shoved Yui away feebly, her cheeks getting redder and redder by the second.

"Eat your cake, Yui." Azusa groaned. She looked away and mumbled something about Yui embarrassing her all the time and how she needed to calm down now and again. Not that she minded. Yui straightened up at the mention of her delicious snack and rushed back to the table to grab one of Mugi's wonderful cakes.  
Mugi always brought the nicest cakes, Yui thought as she grabbed her favourite and sat down to happily munch on it. Azusa looked over at Yui chewing contently and beaming at Mugi. She looked away quickly as she felt her cheeks getting warm again.

It was silly how extreme she reacted towards Yui, she thought, it seemed like anything she did could bring her to a quivering embarrassed mess. She made her way to her designated seat and brought the last piece of cake to her plate. She twirled her silky black hair around her index finger as she leaned against her seat, looking at Yui fondly between outbursts of embarrassing warmth in her cheeks.

After several attempts at a successful practice session, the members of Houkago Teatime gave up for the day. Yui chattered away to Azusa while packing their instruments away in their black bags, while Mio, Ritsu and Mugi were trying to back their sensei out of making them wear her homemade attire for practice. After all, Sawako-Sensei's taste in clothing was rather _exotic._

Mio was by far the most apposed, remembering the incident with a certain outfit made her frantically blush and complain to her sensei. Ritsu almost took sides with Sawako-Sensei, thinking about Mio going up on stage in Sawako's outfits made her laugh inwardly, though she would quickly side with Mio once mention of her outfit came around. Yui continued to bother Azusa while Sawako mentioned her name, her gaze fixed on only Azusa and her thoughts all pointed to her.

"Azu-Nyan! Stay over at my house tonight, please—!" She chimed, swaying her head side to side. Azusa blinked a few times before blushing mildly. A night at Yui-Sempai's house? That's way too embarrassing for me, she thought hurriedly, though it would be fun. Yui looked as if she was about to burst if she didn't get an answer soon.

"It's a little short notice..." Azusa mumbled, not wanting to see disappointment in Yui's eyes, she looked away quickly.

"Huh? Would that be a problem?" She piped up, curiosity filled her eyes and she tilted her head to the side comically. Azusa giggled and loosened up.

"I guess I could ask my mother anyway," She trailed off while Yui bounced around in the air.

"Azu-Nyan's coming over tonight!" She squealed and twirled around to see slightly shocked faces on the other band members. Mio smiled delicately and before Yui could do anything else, Azusa interrupted her again.

"I didn't promise anything yet!" Azusa hurried to Yui's side and rushed excuses for why she might not be able to stay over. Yui ignored her and continued to throw sleepover activity ideas in her face, all becoming more and more embarrassing to Azusa. She waved her hands around in an attempt to quieten Yui and save herself from further inquisitive looks from Mugi and Ritsu.

"—and marshmallows always taste nicer when you share them! Oh, what should we have for dinner? I want a hotpot! What about you Azu-Nyan?" Yui rushed from one idea to the next, never completing one train of thought properly. She was way too excited with the concept of an 'Azu-Nyan sleepover'.

Azusa's cheeks were bright red by now; she gave up trying to calm Yui and sat down with a sigh. She'd call her mother and ask to stay over right now, she thought. She rustled around in her bag, shoving books and notes out of the way until she grabbed her mobile phone. She dialled a familiar number and waited for the dial tone to stop and her mother to pick up.

"Hi, mum. Um, I know it's on short notice but could I stay over at Yui-Sempai's house tonight? I've finished all of my homework for the night..." She chattered away, convincing her mother to let her stay at her Sempai's house. She has never slept over at Yui's on her own; there had always been either Mugi, Mio or Ritsu there too. She stopped thinking about it and concentrated on talking to her Mother.

"Ah, thank you," Azusa smiled. "Yes, I'll be over shortly," She paused. "Yes, I'll pick up a bag too." Yui shuffled over to Azusa and peered over her shoulder. "Ok, I love you too. Bye!" Azusa flipped her phone back into her bag and jumped at Yui's outburst.

"Yes! Azu-Nyan can stay over! I'll thank your mum when we pick up your overnight bag." Yui exclaimed, picking up Azusa's hands in her own and jumping up and down excitedly. Azusa smiled while she was being shaken by her Sempai. Her thoughts concentrated on how Yui was going to embarrass her once they got to her house.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nakano, for lending Azu-Nyan's company tonight!" Yui declared, standing straight with a serious look in her eye. Azusa couldn't help but chuckle. Her mother motioned for them to come in while Azusa hurried upstairs.

"I'll only be a moment, Yui-Sempai!" She called before she hit the top step. Yui waved to her and looked around once she had gone. Azu-Nyan's house is so tidy! Yui couldn't help but wonder how much work it took to keep the room looking so clean. It was something she didn't think about very often.

She idly chattered with Mrs. Nakano while upstairs Azusa rushed around, looking for her favourite pair of pyjamas. She slung open her bottom drawer and shuffled around until she came across the soft texture she knew belonged to a certain pair. She pulled them out and folded them into her bag. She then dragged the clothes that spilled out back into the drawer and closed it quietly. She didn't want to keep Yui-Sempai waiting, but she didn't want to make an awful lot of noise either. She grabbed the clothes that she had placed on her bed this morning and walked briskly into the bathroom to get her toiletries and change into her casual clothing.

Downstairs, Yui had been making a good impression on Azusa's mother. She made her laugh when she talked about all of the fun times that her, Azusa, Mugi, Mio and Ritsu had after school. Mrs. Nakano has told Yui that she loved to hear that her daughter was having so much fun, and that she had a great friend who made her feel happy. Yui blushed and scratched her head.

"Azu-Nyan makes me happy! She's fun and puts up with me without complaining!" Yui carried on, her voice trailing upstairs to the landing. Azusa opened the bathroom door to hear Yui rattling on about her. She blushed furiously, and carried her school clothes and toiletries into her room and placed them in her bag. She zipped it up and checked she hadn't forgotten anything. After making sure, she slung the satchel-like bag over her shoulder and closed her door over slightly.

"—makes the best tea! And the best cakes too. She brings them in especially for us, but I could eat all of them myself. They're delicious!" Yui laughed loudly, Azusa giggled and Yui looked over the shoulder at her Kouhai descending the stairs. Yui grinned widely and stood up clumsily.

"Are you ready, Azu-Nyan?" She asked, grabbing her school bag from the seat next to her.

"Mhmm. Just about, I don't need anything, um, anything specific to take with me, do I?" Azusa asked, curious as to what kind of game Yui might make her play.

"Nope! Just you and your bag," Yui chirped, swaying her head slightly. Yui had a habit or acting very much at home wherever she went. Azusa didn't mind and thankfully, neither did her mother. Yui had a very friendly aura around her. She may be a little bit silly, well, very silly, but someone you can depend on nonetheless. Azusa blushed and looked down awkwardly. Yui was too busy saying her goodbyes to her mother to notice.

She told Yui to come over whenever she liked, and thanked her for inviting Azusa over. Yui had excitedly said that she would be over every day if she could, making Azusa's cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. They walked out of Azusa's house while talking about Mugi's cakes and Ui's cooking. Yui told Azusa that she called her before they left school and that she would make a hotpot for the three of them.

"Tonight is going to be a lot of fun, Azu-Nyan!" Yui sang; swinging her arms back and forth while she walked. Azusa smiled and averted her eyes to the road.

"I think so too, Yui-Sempai." Azusa mumbled. Yui grabbed Azusa's gloved hand and smiled sweetly under her scarf. Azusa's cheeks reddened as she returned the smile. She quickly looked ahead and frantically shouted at Yui.

"Yui-Sempai! Be careful, the lamppost –!"


	3. Can't You Stay All Night?

**Chapter Three**

**Can't You Stay All Night?**

Azusa had been on the receiving end of an intense stare for a few minutes now. She shifted her weight and looked in a different direction.

"Yui-Sempai, please stop staring at me!" Azusa suddenly moaned loudly, Yui laughed.

"But Azu-Nyan, I wanted to see how long it would take you to notice! Ricchan is surprisingly good at this game..." Yui pondered, shifting her gaze to the ceiling in thought.

"Yui-Sempai, I knew the whole time." Azusa sighed. Yui jumped up quickly.

"_Ehhhh. _But Azu-Nyan, that's not how you play!" Yui explained, "You have to tell me right away!"

"Yui-Sempai..." Azusa sighed once more and looked around the room in search of a clock. "What time is it anyway?"

"Eleven!" Yui sang, and got up while scratching her head. "What flavour do you like the best, Azu-Nyan?" Yui asked.

"Eh?" Azusa tilted her head.

"Pocky! Every sleepover needs pocky." Yui crossed her arms and grinned, then ran off to the kitchen to grab her favourite snack.

"Uhm, just the normal one!" Azusa called to her from the living room. Loud shuffling noises ensued and soon Yui walked back to Azusa with her hands full of chocolate treats. The two of them sat together under a warm blanket and stuffed their faces with delicious sweets.

Yui channel surfed while Azusa thought of what they could do the morning after. She assumed that Yui did not have a plan either way. Yui chose a channel, grabbed a few more sweets and clung on to Azusa. Azusa froze momentarily then relaxed, sliding down into the sofa to get comfortable. She blushed furiously red and tried to concentrate on what was on TV. It was a hard task.

"Azu-Nyan," Yui sang lazily, slouching over her. "I'm tired." Azusa sighed then smiled.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired too, we should go to bed." Azusa said. Neither of them moved.

"Azu-Nyan, I don't want to get up." Yui drawled, falling asleep on the blushing Kouhai. Azusa started to protest, then found that she didn't really want to get up either. She leaned her head back against a particularly comfy cushion and curled her legs to the side, shifting around Yui, who was already in sleeping position. Yui leaned her head against Azusa's and breathed out slowly, falling asleep quickly.  
Azusa blushed and closed her eyes and leaned her head on Yui. Both of them forgetting about the dull noise coming from the TV and not wanting to get up to do anything about it. Yui tightened her grip on Azusa's arm and snuggled her cheek against her shoulder. Azusa was too tired to get embarrassed by this and fell asleep while she clung onto Yui. The two of them drifted off to the quiet noises radiating from the TV.

Yui's eyes fluttered open to a face full of Azusa's hair. She pulled away lazily and sat up, looking around the living room dazedly. She yawned, stretched her arms out over her head and swung her legs over the side of the sofa. She turned to Azusa and smiled. _She looks so cute! _Yui thought, she giggled while carefully getting up without waking the sleeping Azusa.

She strode over to the kitchen and grabbed two pieces of bread, only to put them back down when she thought of the noise the toaster would make. She looked back into the living room and rushed to sit next to Azusa after turning off the TV. She wanted to get back to sleep. Yui looked at the clock, five o'clock. She huffed then slid back under the covers, closed her eyes and fell back to a dazed sleep, resting on Azusa's shoulder.

Yui woke once more and immediately closed her eyes again. Sun streaked through the living room blinds, right into her eyes. She squinted and shifted further onto Azusa. She opened her eyes then squinted once more. She gave up and got up, dragged her feet across the floor and closed the blinds. _Ha! _Yui thought. Feeling smug and still tired, she plodded back over to Azusa after checking the time again. Nine o'clock.

Azusa was still in a deep sleep; Yui didn't have the heart to wake her. She crawled back on to the sofa and huddled with her. Yui tilted her head back on a cushion and struggled to keep her eyes open. Yui would probably sleep all day if she could; every morning was a struggle to escape the confines of her super comfortable bed. She shifted her gaze back to Azusa and smiled. She brushed a strand of hair out of Azusa's smiling face. Yui giggled, _she must be having a nice dream._

Yui brushed another strand of hair behind Azusa's ear and smiled. She lowered her head over Azusa's and blushed deeply. She gazed at her long eyelashes, covered by some of her trailing silky hair. Azusa shifted to the side a little, startling Yui. Yui hesitated. She lowered her head further and pressed her forehead against Azusa's.

She looked at her soft lips and blushed even deeper than before. She stayed there for a moment, closing her eyes and enjoying the closeness to Azusa. Yui's eyes blinked open when Azusa moved around in her sleep again. Yui lifted her head momentarily. She pinned her arms at Azusa's sides and lowered her whole body. She leaned on Azusa's small frame as she breathed out slowly. Her eyelids felt heavy as she looked down on Azusa through her eyelashes.

Her heartbeat speed up as Azusa wrapped her arms around her back. She dipped her head and pressed her lips against the sleeping Azusa's. Yui's heart raced and she felt her lips getting hot. She closed her eyes and pressed harder. She pulled away after a moment; she sat up and stared at Azusa. Yui suddenly panicked and leapt up off of the sofa.

She covered her burning cheeks and looked around for any witnesses. Ui was over at Jun's house and Azusa was still in a blissful slumber. Yui dropped her hands to her sides and rushed to the bathroom.

_I-I-I kissed Azu-Nyan! _Yui panicked further and ran the cold tap. She splashed the icy water over her face and dried off with a flannel. Her cheeks were still the reddest they had ever been. She opened the bathroom door a crack and peered through. Azusa fidgeted and shifted around the sofa, squirming amongst the cushions. _She'll wake up! _Yui thought, _what do I do?_

She rushed to the kitchen, slipping on the fresh water that she spilled across the bathroom. She grabbed the two pieces of bread and threw them into the toaster. She managed to grab butter and a jar of jam out of the fridge before Azusa stirred. Yui slowed her breathing and popped her head around the corner. She smiled at Azusa, and acted as if everything was normal.

"Toast?" Yui asked, while her hands shook wildly on counter.

"Hmhmm. A-Ah! Y-Yes please!" Azusa stuttered as she woke up groggily. She rubbed her eyes and pulled the blanket off of the sofa. She arched her back and strode over to Yui. "I'll have jam too, please." Azusa smiled as Yui's heart raced. Yui quickly focused on the bread instead of Azusa's lips.

Azusa leaned against the counter as she looked around the kitchen idly. Yui's gaze darted from the toast to Azusa and from Azusa's lips back to the toast. She blushed to herself and slid the plate over to Azusa, who picked up a piece of toast and munched on it. Azusa looked at Yui and swallowed before talking.

"Do you feel unwell, Yui-Sempai?" She asked. "You look a little hot."


	4. Did You Sleep Well?

**Chapter Four**

**Did You Sleep Well?**

Ritsu had been moaning to Mio about the upcoming Maths test all morning. The test would be taking place tomorrow morning and Ritsu hadn't studied all week as she had plans to copy off of Mio.

"Ritsu, there's still time to study, you don't have to from copy me." Said Mio, tucking notes into her bag, it was the end of lesson and she planned to go to the library to write up her notes.

"But Mio, I don't _have _to copy from you, but I _want_ to!" Said Ritsu cheerily. "It means less work for me and-"

"More work for me." Mio finished, sighing. Ritsu hesitated.

"Not really, I only have to borrow your book; you don't have to do anything else. I could-"

"No, Ritsu, study on your own for once." Said Mio, shoving her bag over her shoulder while staring at Ritsu. She sighed again. "If I help you study this time," She paused shortly, Ritsu looked up hopefully. "Will you _promise _me that you'll do it yourself next time?" Ritsu jumped into the air and hugged Mio tightly.

"Ahh, Mio! I knew you'd come around!" Said Ritsu brightly. Mio coughed and muttered something that sounded like 'stupid Ritsu'. She remembered that Ritsu had told her this last time too, though she shoved the thought out of her head and managed a small smile.

Meanwhile, Yui had been telling Azusa about how much she had been practising on her guitar yesterday.

"Four hours! I just sat down and started playing and the time just flew by; it was so much fun, I didn't want to stop!" Said Yui ecstatically, she was twirling around in the hallway, not minding the stares she received from several people. "When Ui came in, she told me that I'd been concentrating so hard that I didn't even hear her call for dinner."

"That's great, Yui-Sempai! Now if only you could be that motivated every day..." Azusa trailed off, looking sideways at the ground. She doubted very much that Yui would be so hard working on every single day. All Azusa knew was that however many times Yui slacked off; she'd make it in the end. She was proud of her Sensei for that.

"I wonder what cake Mugi will bring today..." Said Yui, already thinking of stuffing her face with the expensive cakes that Mugi bought every day. Azusa giggled and hoped that she would bring a Mont Blanc today.

The rest of the day passed slowly for Ritsu, she didn't concentrate in any of her final lessons and sat idly when they arrived at the library. She waited for Mio to produce a copy of her notes while trying to balance a pencil with her lips. She pursed them out and whispered to Mio.

"Look, Mio! It's a moustache." She made an awkward impression of an old man which made Mio cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing loudly. She shook her head and looked back down to her paper, concentrating on what the teacher had said to them that lesson. Ritsu continued to distract the students across the table while avoiding the librarian's wary looks.

They all waited – some more patiently than others – for after school music practise, as they did every day. Mio packed up, handed her notes to Ritsu and told her to hurry up. Ritsu shoved the notes into her pocket and said she was ready. Mio stared at her for a second, and then sighed. There was no point in asking why she hadn't been doing anything while she was making notes; Mio unfortunately knew what the answer was.

Yui and Azusa had been the first to get to the clubroom, which caused at sudden realisation that she and Azusa were alone again. She breathed in slowly and strode over to the table; she placed her bag out of the way and walked around the table to pull out her chair. She sat awkwardly while Azusa sat down. Yui suddenly had nothing to say, her strange behaviour became apparent to Azusa very quickly.

"Is something wrong, Yui-Sempai?" Azusa asked. "You look a little off colour." Yui shuffled uncomfortably and looked around. "Y-Yui-Sempai?" Azusa's voice was full of worry which seemed to snap Yui out of her trance.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I didn't hear you." Said Yui. "I wonder what cake Mugi is bringing today..." Yui mumbled somewhat clumsily and looked to the tea set in the cupboard. Azusa stared.  
"Yui-Sempai, you already said that." She said, worriedly. "Yui-"

"I'm fine, really!" Yui shook her hands in front of her as the door swung open. Ritsu strode in, followed by Mio who had a 'why do I put up with this?' look on her face. Mugi walked in shortly after they had sat down.

"Mugi!" Said Ritsu happily while waving her hand around.

"Hello everyone," Mugi smiled and walked over to the cupboard which hosted her favourite tea sets. "I brought the Mont Blanc set today," She said as she placed the cutlery on the table, then made for the drawer harbouring delicious treats. Azusa smiled inwardly at the mention of her favourite cake and looked over at Yui, who seemed to be happy she could eat.

Once they finished eating, they hurried to practise, Yui played as normal while Azusa shot wary glances now and again. The rest of the day went smoothly and Azusa stopped worrying about Yui, she put her weird behaviour to over tiredness, she _did _practise a lot last night, she thought. It didn't, however, stop her looking at Yui. She would gaze over to her and smile brightly and, catching herself, she'd hurry to look away. She was very aware of how red her cheeks were, she just didn't want to think very hard on why that was.

A loud yawn erupted from Yui, who flopped over the bench where they put their bags. Mugi suggested she get an early night, which didn't go down well with Yui.

"But I'm okay! Really," Yui persisted.

"Hmm, I don't think so," Azusa added. "You looked a little sick earlier, plus you have black circles under your eyes..." Yui pouted but eventually agreed to get some early sleep that night.

She knew the problem was not practise, but Azusa. She had spent the majority of her night lying awake, thinking of a certain incident. She worried long and hard and decided not to mention it to Azusa. That didn't keep her from looking over at Azusa and wanting to kiss her again, even in public, which unnerved her a little bit.

She chewed on her lip as they walked home, keeping her contribution to the conversation to a minimum and fixed her concentration on the trees, the ground and the passing traffic, occasionally looking over at Azusa. She wanted Azusa to stay over at her house again tonight and she wanted to stay with her at all times.

Azusa looked over at Yui every so often; smiling at her if she caught her eye. Azusa worried about Yui. She wondered if it would be best for Yui to come over, but put it off when she remembered her sempai needed to get some sleep. Ui could take care of her, she thought.

She couldn't help but feel a little envious towards Ui, who got to take care of her sister every day, from waking her up to making sure she went to bed at night. Azusa had never felt envious before, it made her feel fidgety and uncomfortable. She decided that Yui would come over to her house for the weekend, it was Friday tomorrow and she would ask her mother for permissions tonight.

Yui spent another night thinking of Azusa.

She woke up slightly early, to realise she fell asleep. She didn't feel tired anymore but her arms ached, she slept at an odd angle and she didn't change into her pyjamas. She crawled out of bed and threw on her school clothes. She slowly descended the stairs and nearly tripped on the very last step, expecting more. She dazedly looked around the living room and found Ui watching TV. She looked to the window which let a strong line of light in, which was weird, Yui thought, for it to be this bright in the morning. Ui turned around as she heard her sister clumsily pad to the kitchen.

"Morning, Nee-Chan," She called. "Are you feeling okay this morning?"

"Mmm? Yeah, just a little..." She trailed off when she looked at the calendar. "It's Saturday?" She asked, her voice raising an octave.

"Yes, I stayed off to take care of you; you looked so tired and ill..." She looked worried and Yui felt a stab of guilt.

"You didn't have to do that!" Said Yui, while she rushed into the living room. "I'm fine, really. Really fine." She repeated while trying to look as normal as she could.

"Well, you slept through the whole day, Nee-Chan. You weren't fine." Ui insisted. "I think you should lie down for a bit. Or," She added once she saw Yui's face. "You could just take it easy." Ui smiled at her calmly. She got up and made her way to the kitchen, putting toast in the toaster and getting jam from the fridge. Yui sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks Nee-Chan." She smiled and made her way back to her room. She figured she could play on Gita seeing as she was to stay in today, though as soon as she sat on her bed, she dropped off to a blissful sleep again.

Meanwhile, Azusa sat in her room, worried about Yui. She fidgeted and picked up and put down her guitar several times and couldn't sit still for long. She thought about how sick Yui might be, and thought about how much she thought about Yui, which, she realised, was an awful lot.


	5. Passive Amity

**Chapter Five**

**Passive Amity**

While Azusa slowly began to notice her attraction to Yui was above what she would call 'friendship', it did not make her want to tell anyone about it. It, in fact, made her want to do the opposite. She wanted to keep it to herself in hopes of keeping their friendship and keeping her feelings from getting hurt. Azusa had failed to think of the possibility that Yui might have those very same feelings towards her.

So she kept it to herself, her glances towards Yui became shorter; their conversations strained and cut off and, eventually, she asked Yui to stop calling her so often. Azusa had felt the need to talk to Jun and Ui more often; she tried to force herself to stop being so selfish around her, she did not want these sudden urges to ask everyone to leave so that they would be together, she didn't want such a strong attraction to Yui. It left her feeling insecure in her own thoughts and made her doubt herself again and again. She told herself that she did not want to be helplessly in love with her best friend.

Yui, on the other hand, took this the wrong way. She saw Azusa's hesitation towards her as a sign that she no longer liked her. The thought often crossed her mind that Azusa had, somehow, found out about Yui's love for her, she thought Azusa shied away from her touch because she was afraid of her. Yui didn't want Azusa to feel that way, though what could she do? What could she do when she had so readily assumed that Azusa had not known, or that she had liked her back, even just a little?

Yui thought endlessly of ways she could regain Azusa's affection, though coming at a blank every time, she settled on the fact that her love for Azusa was not welcome to her. As unrequited as she thought it was, she couldn't stop her feelings towards her.

While Ui had no hope of knowing the cause of Yui's restlessness, she worried excessively. She watched her out of the corner of her eye, trying to figure out her sister's problem. Ui didn't pity Yui, she had never once felt sorry for Yui, she was always so happy, but something made her anxious about the way she plodded around the house with no real intention of doing anything. Whenever Ui asked her a question, the best answer she received would be a half-hearted 'yes' or 'no'. Sometimes she had to talk to Ui to stop her fretting, though she wouldn't talk for long.

She wasn't sad, she constantly told herself, just thinking... just thinking, she would repeat over and over in her head. Thinking in this way felt alien to Yui, she had always looked on the sunny side of life, the side in which she would always be the optimist, the chirpy girl with a bright smile on her face. Azusa, for the first time, had made her feel awkward in her own skin. She had a sudden worry about her appearance, an unconscious flick of her hand to flatten the straying strands of hair floating around her face, a shuffle of her feet to appear taller.

Yui decided that she would go about as normal; Azusa may have not even meant to make her feel like this, she thought, it wasn't like her to do something like that. Looking back on it, Yui worried herself, she had caught herself overreacting and she didn't like it one bit. She walked lazily to her bedroom and slumped on her bed, fiddling with her hair, she hummed a song to herself. Images of Azusa floated into her head and she smiled, falling asleep while she was submerged in whimsical memories.

"-see her anymore, why is that?" Azusa's ears buzzed as she blinked at the TV screen. She heard a quiet voice and looked around; her mother was talking to her, an apprehensive look on her face. She must have been daydreaming, she thought.

"Sorry mum, what was that?" Azusa mumbled. Sitting upright and adjusting her shirt, she fumbled with a button which hung lose.

"I was talking about your friend, Yui. You hardly talk about her lately. You haven't upset each other, have you?" Azusa hesitated. Had they? She wondered whether Yui had only liked her out of courtesy, because she was a member of Houkago Tea Time. She then eradicated those thoughts from her mind, she was thinking badly of Yui, Azusa sighed and smiled to her mother.

"Of course not, don't worry about that kind of thing, mum. Yui and I will always be friends." Her smile seemed to have worked as her mother didn't persist. Azusa walked up to her room and sat down at her desk. She stared at her homework for a minute, and then left it. She couldn't do anything with all these thoughts in her head, she thought.

She flipped open her phone and flicked through her contact list and stopped on Yui. Her hand quivered slightly and she dialled, lying back on her bed and she listened to the ring intently, as if it was a lifeline.

Yui's phone vibrated on the end of her bed. Azusa's name flashed violently as a rushed ringtone gradually increased in sound, Yui shuffled in her sleep and kicked her phone off of the bed. Once it stopped, another call started soon after. The sound cut off in the middle and her phone remained silent for the rest of the night.

Yui woke up in a frantic search for her phone, blundering around the room, tripping over music sheets and manga volumes; she eventually found it after turfing out half of her clothes from under her bed. She fumbled on the menu, and saw two missed calls from Azusa. She stared at the screen and left the house two minutes after hurriedly shoving on clothes.

Texting while running, Yui admitted, was hard. She somehow managed to send a halfway presentable text to Azusa and double checked on the contact to which she was sending it to. She has no time to pour over her choice of words and left it as it was.

I'm so sorry I missed your calls. I'm running to your house right now. Is there something wrong?  
-Yui

She hit send, and looked up just in time to dart out of the way of a crossing post. She swiftly checked for oncoming traffic, and rushed across the road. Her shoes, poorly chosen, were in danger of falling off at any moment, though Yui had not noticed. She kept her eyes fixed on the road, path, and her phone, making sure she didn't run out on the road, bustle into somebody, or miss a reply from Azusa. Her heart erratically pounded in her chest, as she turned another corner.

Azusa's house was in sight, and she came to a sudden halt. What was she going to say to Azusa? She looked down at her phone and thought that Azusa's call might have been out of boredom, or that she just wanted to talk to Yui at that time. She had jumped to conclusions and ran out of her house at full speed without a thought in her mind. She caught her breath and carried on walking. She might as well carry on, she thought.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket a few steps away from Azusa's neighbour.

Don't worry about it, it wasn't anything important. You'd best go home, I'm not feeling too good, and mum's taking care of me. Please don't do things like that again. It's a bother for both of us.  
-Azusa

Yui read through the text several times before turning around and silently walking home. She walked past Ui and headed straight for her bedroom; she locked her door, and sat down on her bed. She brought a hand to her cheeks and felt a steady stream of tears falling down her cheek. She turned off her phone and put it on her bedside table; she stared at it for a moment before throwing herself under her duvet covers. She curled her knees to her front, and felt her chest heaving and her breath ragged. She tired her hardest to stop the tears brimming over her eyes, she buried her head in her duvet, her eyes stung and she squeezed them shut. A new line of silent tears came over her, she shivered and, letting the silence overwhelm her, she fell asleep clutching her guitar, murmuring Azusa's favourite songs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Tepid Hearts**

Azusa woke with a jolt, her eyes flew open and her body jerked forwards, her hands reached out for her duvet automatically. She looked around the room and blinked a few times, nothing was there. Still looking around her room, she heard a screeching sound radiating from the ground below. She crawled to the edge of her bed and looked out of the window carefully. A cat. She sighed and called out to it apathetically; it looked up, and then darted away.

A small smile spread across her face as she looked out to the sky that grew steadily brighter. She rolled over her bed to grab her phone and flipped it open to scan through her texts.

_I'm so sorry I missed your calls._

A sadness suddenly came over Azusa. Had she been too cold towards Yui? Azusa slouched back into her duvet, tugging on strands of her raven black hair and curling her toes. She jumped out of bed abruptly and shoved on a change of clothes. She left a note for her mum and ran out the door before she even had her shoes on properly.

_You were right, I think something's wrong we me and Yui. I'm going over to her house. I'll be back later today. I love you._

While Yui lay awake, she stared at the ceiling. She counted to ten several times, she kept telling herself to get up on ten, but didn't. She couldn't gather up any courage to call Azusa or walk out to make early breakfast, she couldn't stomach thinking about going to school and seeing Azusa's face that filled her with unexplained guilt. She rolled over to look at her bedside table, her eyes rested on a picture of Houkago Tea Time. She gazed at Azusa, who, being hugged tightly by Yui, smiled weakly. Had she always been a bother to her? Yui never thought she bothered anyone; she thought people liked having her around, her gaze dropped to her clock. It was still too early for Ui to be up.

Light streamed through her blinds and she yanked them further down, shielding her eyes. She laid back and breathed heavily when she heard a dull knock from downstairs. Grabbing a jumper, she padded downstairs as she haphazardly threw it over her pyjamas. Another rushed knock rang through the hallway as Yui grabbed the keys from the counter. She fumbled with them, selected the right one, and opened the door.

Azusa panted to regain her breath, and stood upright once she heard the door being unlocked. She breathed out lightly and looked up at Yui with a slightly pained expression.

"How're you?" Azusa breathed heavily. Yui blinked several times and tilted her head to the side.

"M-Morning," Said Yui, in a half sleepy daze. Azusa smiled feebly until something in Yui's head clicked. "A-Azu-Nyan!" Yui cried out loudly, only now realising who the person that stood in front of her was. She hurried her in and shut the door again; she hoped she didn't shout too loudly, Ui was still in bed.

"Y-Yui-Sempai," Azusa began, but was quietened by Yui who made her sit down and asked if she wanted anything to eat. "W-What? No, Yui, I don't want anyth- Yui I need to talk to you." Azusa spluttered as Yui rushed clumsily around the kitchen, she popped her around the corner and came in to sit with her. They fidgeted uncomfortably until one of them spoke, or rather, both of them at the same time.

"Yui I-"

"Azu-Nyan,"

They both sat in silence again after blushing wildly and looking away half-heartedly. Azusa breathed in loudly and looked at Yui with calculating eyes.

"Yui-Sempai, have I done something wrong? I-I feel like you're ignoring me and that makes me sad, you know." It took all of her courage not to look away or run out of the room in embarrassment. Yui stared at her intently and suddenly hugged her so tight that Azusa could hardly breathe. "Y-Yui-Sempai!"

"Oh, Azu-Nyan, I'd never do that!" Yui blubbered, resting her head on Azusa's shoulder. "I-I thought you wanted me to leave you alone after I k-" Yui stopped and pulled away, she looked at Azusa carefully then sat back down again. "I was worried about you Azu-Nyan!" Yui curled her fingers around the fabric on her jumper and smiled warmly.

"Yui-Sempai..." Azusa mumbled, her cheeks were burning red and she felt like she could hug Yui and cry on her woolly jumper all day, she felt tingly in her stomach and she realised they were all alone. Her breath caught in her throat and she sniffed loudly. "When you didn't pick up that night, I thought that you didn't want to talk to me, then you weren't at school and- and-" Azusa hiccupped coarsely and her blush deepened. Yui giggled and asked her if she wanted a glass of water, when she came back, Azusa downed the drink and sat quietly, waiting for her hiccups to stop. Once they had, Azusa blushed a furious pink and apologised for her outburst of hiccups.

"You can't help getting hiccups, Azu-Nyan!" Yui swayed on her seat and hugged Azusa tightly once more. "You're really cute... when you hiccup." Yui whispered, looking down at Azusa's shoulder while she buried her head in her hair. The sentence hung in the air awkwardly and Azusa hiccupped once more. Her cheeks deeply flushed and her words lost, Azusa's feeble protests resulted in an incoherent mumble. Yui tightened her grip on the younger girl and pressed her cheeks against Azusa's neck. Azusa spluttered a half understandable sentence and slid out of her sempai's grip just before Ui stumbled in the living room. Yui's gaze flashed up to her sister and she jumped up off of the sofa and beamed at her.

"Morning, Ui!" Said Yui clumsily as she rushed to explain why Azusa was in their house so early. "Azusa's here to help me with Gita! I thought he sounded a little off when I last played him so Azusa came over to help." Yui laughed and Azusa mumbled "Good morning," to Ui while she tried to collect her composure. Ui didn't seem to see anything strange and she welcomed Azusa in and offered her breakfast. The two went upstairs while Ui cleared up from the kitchen and Yui hurriedly closed the door.

"Yui-!" Azusa half shouted while she stared at her sempai. "W-What was that about?" She whimpered, her blush returning to an even stronger red than before as she pressed her hands against her cheeks in a wasted effort to stop Yui from seeing her embarrassment. She felt her heart hammering against her chest and she confused herself as she jumped to conclusions which both thrilled and embarrassed her.

Yui made an attempt to calm her but then gave up and they sat down on her bed. Yui wondered whether Azusa could hear her erratic heartbeat and she shuffled her feet around the floor to concentrate on something other than her closeness to Azusa. The carpet suddenly became very interesting as they both stared at it intently, not wanting to stare into each other's eyes with an intensity that would make even Yui uncomfortable with embarrassment.

"I don't want to do anything without you Azusa, I mean it." Yui breathed in deeply and continued. "You're the person I want to spend all my time with and... and you're the person I want to have fun times with." Yui blushed but kept her eyes on Azusa's while she tried to keep her breathing quiet. Azusa smiled a clumsy smile and nodded slowly.

"I understand, Yui, I feel the same way. I'm always having so much fun when I'm around you and I don't want that to stop either." Yui tilted her head to the side and blinked quickly, she spluttered a string of words that didn't quite form a sentence. She sighed and tried again.

"N-No... Azusa, I mean," She breathed in and readied herself for a reaction that she believed she wouldn't be able to handle. She knew she was at that point of no return, her confession to Azusa could go many ways, she knew that. She just hoped, a little naively, that everything would come off for the better. She hesitated, seeing the look on Azusa's face made her think it over again and again, though she smiled and carried on. "Azusa, I think I'm in love with you."

"Ritsu, you really shouldn't be doing that!" Mio cried, waving her hands in front of her face and trying to steady a flailing Ritsu. She was too busy trying to prove to Mio that she _could _in fact balance herself perfectly on the top of the wall without falling. Ritsu always had the worst of luck anyway.

"Look Mio! I told you I- AH, MIO!" Ritsu slipped and fell over on to the rough grassy flooring and rolled sideways while she clutched her sides.

"Ritsu-!" Mio yelled, and then stopped abruptly in front of her. "Wait. Are- are you laughing?" Mio looked over at Ritsu who was shaking wildly in fits of laughter.

"I told you Mio! I could balance myself, not for too long but that's beside the point... OW!" Ritsu covered her now throbbing head and stifled complaints.

"I thought you were hurt, you idiot." Mio's muffled sobs made Ritsu sit up and apologise.

"Sorry, sorry." She threw her hands out in a calming gesture. "Look, I'm perfectly fine! I only rolled on to grass anyway," Ritsu smiled. "Why don't we go get some McDonalds? My treat for worrying you." Mio was visibly taken back and Ritsu scrunched up her face to stop from smiling too widely. Mio collected herself and huffed.

"That's a first. I usually treat you- or rather, you bribe me into buying yours." She groaned. Ritsu stood up and smiled brightly.

"Maybe I'll have to treat you more often, _Romio_." Mio blushed deep red and lightly hit Ritsu on her arm as they walked towards the restaurant. The promise of Ritsu doing something nice for her without any strings attached did sound nice. She looked away as she smiled to herself.


End file.
